Skoyles's (1992) idea is excellent. Some form of the process Skoyles recommends should be adopted throughout the research world, but he fails to take on the thorny issue of data ownership directly. The Federal Government could adopt guidelines for the status of data aquired through government subsidy. They would specify the format and availability of all data gathered at taxpayer expense. This proposal would revolutionize the research "business" by putting cutting edge results in the public domain. I believe that the research our taxes pay for should not be channelled to private entrepreneurs. The profit from developing and using publicly funded research can still be guaranteed through licensing, but the monopoly "rent" derived from the control of data and results must be returned to the public domain.
1.2 Having worked for United States Congressman John Dingell myself, I know that a primary concern has been that data, often gathered at the expense of the public through public research funding, can be:
(a) fraudulently gathered and analyzed (representing, when not detected, an unaccountable waste of our money), and
(b) used by private parties for great profit in developing patented rights to drugs, and now, genetic material.
1.3 The former concern is mostly addressed by Skoyles's proposal, but he fails to take on the latter thorny issue of data ownership directly. The Federal Government could adopt guidelines for the status of data aquired through direct or indirect government subsidy. These guidelines could be as legally binding as the requirements imposed on institutions receiving federal library assistance. They would specify the format and availability of all data gathered at taxpayer expense.
1.4 This proposal would revolutionize the research "business" by putting cutting edge results in the public domain, for public use. The problem is that it might remove that wonderful private sector incentive for research that we academicians so deny as motivation for our work: greed.
1.5 I believe that the research our taxes pay for should not be used to line the pockets of private entrepreneurs. The profit from developing and using publicly funded research can still be guaranteed through licensing, but the monopoly "rent" (to use economic terminology) derived from the control of data and results must be returned to the public domain. Skoyles's proposal goes a long way towards doing this.
Skoyles, John R. (1992) Public Electronic Archiving and Retrieval of Raw Scientific Data. PSYCOLOQUY 3(29) data-archive.1